It is known to provide mixing taps which have inputs from different sources, such as cold and hot water supplies. Normally, these are mixed in accordance with the position of a handle. In some arrangements the handle is arranged for biaxial rotation European Patent No. EPO 933573 is an example of a tap of this sort. In this arrangement the tap has hot and cold water inputs and by operation of a biaxially rotatable handle, mixed water from the inputs can be supplied to a faucet or to a sprayer. The handle is provided with a lever arm which can latch with the valve body so that the user, on operation of the lever, can rotate the handle about a horizontal axis in order to select water at a determined temperature to be delivered to the sprayer.
The object of the present invention is to provide a tap which has two inputs but which separately delivers water to two outlets without any mixing and further to provide a security element which needs to be activated before fluid is delivered from the second outlet. This capability enables the tap to be connected to a hot water boiler and the security element improves the safety of the tap because it minimises the possibility that boiling water is inadvertently dispensed from the tap
According to the present invention there is provided a tap including:
a tap body;
a valve assembly located within the body;
an operating handle mounted on the body and coupled to the valve assembly;
the body having a first part spherical bearing surface and the handle being provided with a complementary bearing surface whereby the handle is capable of biaxial rotation about first and second axes relative to the tap body; wherein the valve assembly includes:
first valve means for controlling flow of a first liquid from a first inlet to a first outlet, the first valve means including a first valve element which opens when the handle is rotated from a closed position about said first axis in a first sense to first open position to permit flow of the first liquid through the valve assembly;
second valve means for controlling flow of a second liquid from a second inlet to a second outlet, the second valve means including a second valve element which opens when the handle has been rotated from said closed position about said first axis in a second sense opposite to said first sense to an active position and then rotated about said second axis; and
a security element having a locked position in which it prevents rotation of the handle about said second axis, the security element being such that it can be moved to an unlocked position when the handle is in said active position so that the handle can rotate about the second axis to a second open position to thereby permit flow of the second liquid through the valve assembly.